Knights of the Rebellion
by Isaac A. Drake
Summary: A young Luke makes a different discovery in the deserts of Tatooine that allow him training in the Force years before he and Obi-Wan will be thrust into the fires of the Rebellion. Elements of KOTOR, Rebels, Legends, and more.
1. Vestige

Author's note: So I am going to be bouncing around stories as inspiration hits for each, sorry but that's the only way I won't have worse writer's block.

So on top of the new mid-season trailer of Rebels giving me a PERFECT plot pivot point for this story I had on hold I am also going to take out my mounting frustrations on Luke apparently learning NOTHING from being a military commander in a guerrilla war and applying that to the resurrection of the Jedi Order. So I'm taking a moment I saw mentioned in Luke's Legends article and pushing it in a direction that would give him the experiences pre-Rebellion to actually apply Rebellion tactics to his new Order later on. Much later on.

Also this is way more dialogue heavy than my chapters usually are but hey it needed to happen and some people love dialogue.

Prologue: Vestige

Luke could not believe that Windy had ditched him when the beast surprised them. After chasing off Sand People and Jawas he had been pretty sure Windy had his back until they made it back to Anchorhead or Tosche Station or really just any form of civilization.

And then the dragon had shown up and Windon Starkiller proved himself a spineless coward. In Luke's opinion at least, mostly he just was not fond of the idea of becoming a Krayt Dragon meal and was taking it out mentally on the only thing that came to mind.

Because as he skidded down a sand dune in the Eastern Dune Sea to avoid another lunge from the beast he really did not want to blame himself for this.

At thirteen the life of a moisture farmer was increasingly boring to Luke. He had been skipping chores, flying the Skyhopper out through Beggar's Canyon, and hanging out with Fixer and his crew over at Tosche Station a lot more over the past few months.

Five more minutes of running later Luke ran into a problem.

The dragon had cornered him right outside a cave. With hope that the cave had smaller tunnels he could escape through the young boy went in, the only direction he could continue on that wasn't straight into the dragon's maw.

Scrambling through the darkness of the cave Luke slammed into a pillar of some sort and fell to the ground, allowing the dragon to catch up with him.

The young boy turned around just as the dragon let out a mighty roar; scared, angry, and determined to live Luke continued to scramble back but ran into the pillar from before. He let out a terrified scream and something inside of him snapped.

A wind whipped up around the young boy and debris flew at the dragon. Except the debris did not strike the dragon, and the dragon flickered. After a few moments where his heart was stuck in his throat the dragon flickered a final time and condensed into a new image, that of a man with patterned scars on his face and strange brown robes.

Luke and the man, who must have been a hologram, stared at each other for a few more silent moments before the man spoke, "Ah, so finally someone with Force potential finds me. It has been a long time I am sure."

"Wha-what are you?" Luke quickly managed to stammer out.

With what would have been a sigh on a living being the man spoke once more, "I am the holographic interface for the final Holocron of Jedi Master Revan Shan. The krayt dragon image was a defense mechanism I built into the Holocron's interface before I had it shipped here by a loyal ally of mine."

Luke was understandably quite stunned at this, "Jedi? I thought the Jedi were a myth, the last ones were apparently a militant religious order that betrayed the Republic during the Clones Wars."

It was Revan's turn to be stunned, "The Jedi did what now? I've had my disagreements with my order but betraying the Republic? No never..." After a few moments of introspection he opened his eyes again, "Ah I apologize I am being a bad host."

At that the pillar behind Luke lit up along a few seams of the stone, which then parted like petals of a flower revealing an inner pillar with a strange blue iridescent cube hovering in the middle.

Revan gestured at it with a hand, "One of my crowning achievements if I do say so myself! With the Star Forge destroyed the Star Map leading to it was non-functional so I created plans for my droid HK-47 to adapt it into a hyper-processor my Holocron could be interfaced with, allowing me to turn this entire cave into a training facility or base for any aspiring apprentices who I decided were worthy of my teachings!"

A few more lights around the cave attempted to light up, yet many of them flickered back out as Luke watched the entire thing.

"Uh...Master Jedi Revan I don't think your base is working."

The hologram looked around in confusion, "That is very strange, the tech I installed here was very hardy and should have lasted at least a millennium for certain."

The Jedi then frowned, "I don't suppose you know how long it has been since the Cold War with the Sith Empire collapsed do you?"

Luke blinked, "The what? The only Sith Wars I know about are the Hundred Years of Darkness a thousand years ago and the Great Hyperspace War umm...I think four thousand years ago? Wait no, five thousand years! Sorry I can't be more help, galactic history isn't really on the moisture farmer curriculum you know?"

Revan was between being aghast and amused, "Four thousand years and padawans are still giving me attitude." His humor was purely to deflect addressing how massive a span of time that was so he could think it over on his own.

Luke had the shame to blush however, "Sorry Master Jedi, this is...well umm...borken weird."

Revan blinked, "Oh well yes I suppose it must be, especially for a moisture farmer you said? What is your name as it happens, it appears four thousand years of hibernation have made my social skills a bit rusty."

"Oh! Right, my name is Luke Skywalker. I live over near Anchorhead...uh maybe Mos Eisley which is a bit further away was around in your day and age too? I'm not sure how old some of these settlements are to tell the truth."

"Anchorhead was a mining colony in my day, I am sure it has changed hands many times since Czerka Corporation controlled it though."

"Oh yeah, the Hutts pretty much control everything around here now."

That statement made Revan pull back his lips in disgust, "The Hutts have expanded so far out of Cartel space? Along with your information about the Jedi having once more fallen to disrepair I am finding the current state of the galaxy deplorable." He took a deep mockery of a breath before continuing, "However fixing the galaxy once again is the job of living beings, I am a holocron, a mix of technology and force technique to imprint the knowledge and personality of a Jedi master into an item allowing the knowledge and skills to be passed down and preserved in future generations, so now my question is this young Luke: Do you wish to become my newest apprentice? To learn the ways of the Force?"

Luke glanced around the poorly lit cave and rang his hands together before standing up and nodding at the hologram, "Alright Master Jedi, just umm...one question? What's the Force?"

Revan blinked back at the young man, "You...just agreed to be my apprentice without knowing what the Force is?"

Luke shrugged, "Jedi were some kind of legendary warriors so I figured it would definitely involve learning to fight and that sounds like an adventure! Being a moisture farmer has never been what I wanted to do with my life, I want to get out and explore the universe! Maybe join the Imperial Starfighter Corps or really just anything to get off this ball of dust."

Revan laughed a laugh that started out as a chuckle and grew in to as full and hearty a laugh as a man of his slim stature could manage, "Yes I suppose it does involve learning to fight, however learning the Force and the Jedi way of fighting is about learning a way of life, a way of life that connects you to all other living beings in the universe. You see Luke...one can imagine the Force as a deep and wide ocean stretching through all of existence. Every living being can float upon it, but only a talented few can swim through the waters that connect all life. Or even dive deep into its depths and learn its many mysteries. The Force can allow one who connects to it to sense creatures, levitate boulders, glimpse the future, and so many other things. It truly is as boundless as an ocean."

Luke was fully engrossed in Revan's description, he watched the man gesticulate with wide eyes. "Wow that sounds amazing!" Then something occurred to him, "Wait! That's what happened earlier with the dragon hologram! I was the one that moved the rocks and scrap?"

Revan nodded, "Indeed my new Padawan! You appear to be quite naturally gifted in the Force, quite similar to myself in my youth. You would be a pleasure to teach."

After breaking eye contact with his new master Luke once again glanced around the cave, "I'm going to have to be the one that fixes this place up won't I?"

Revan held out his hands and moved them around, "Yes I cannot exactly leave this cave unless you remove the Holocron and even then I am a bit...insubstantial nowadays."

Luke let out a long sigh, "I'm going to have to sneak a lot of scrap past Uncle Owen..."


	2. Structure

Author's Note: I listen to the Official Spotify Star Wars Playlist for whatever character is the focus of the Star Wars story I write when I write Star Wars. Luke's isn't necessarily my cup of tea, but it's pretty calming. Kylo's and Anakin's are full of my jams though.

Also starting next chapter I'm going to begin playing fast and loose with the pre-New Hope Tatooine timeline (but the changes to the overall timeline will almost always be confined to things that can directly be connected back to Luke being different, or the butterfly effect thereof)

Guest: The data inside the Holocron has to be based on the Revan from the Foundry, also at no point during his life did he actually use the red lightsaber together with the purple. That's just a cool thing they did for the action figure (which I have too). Revan's spirit on the other hand would be completely balanced in the Force due to his merging before passing on into the Force. Considering the Legacy of Darth Bane is based on the teachings of Revan's SITH Holocron I wanted the New Jedi Order to rise out of the ashes with the help of a Jedi Holocron of Revan's as a form of parallelism. Check Revan's or "Revan's Lightsaber" wookiepedia article if you don't trust someone that's played both KOTOR games and most classes on SWTOR a million times. (Btw my SWTOR name is sageoflogic feel free to add me, I tank on Jedi Covenant)

Structure

The past few months, while Luke was collecting scrap and broken parts that wouldn't be missed from the farm to help repair the cave, Revan had not taught his new Padawan all that much. Mostly it had been breathing and meditation exercises and if Luke was being honest with himself he'd probably say he was getting sick of it.

Even if he was a relatively polite and kind young man, something his friends' parents remarked upon much to his aunt and uncle's pride, he still was not all that calm. In fact his need to constantly be moving, fiddling with tech, working, or sating some random curiosity was alternatively helpful and completely frustrating for that same aunt and uncle.

And now it was frustrating for his new master as well.

"I honestly think we're going to have to try a new meditation technique, Luke." Revan told him bluntly one day.

Luke quickly sprang up to his feet from his crosslegged position on the floor, "Yes please! I really am trying Master Revan but I can't sit still any karking longer!"

The hologram rolled his eyes, "If you would practice some patience and let me finish when I am speaking you would have allowed me to state that it requires a few more pieces of equipment to be fixed." The padawan at least looked a little bashful at the reprimand, and most importantly allowed Revan to continue speaking, "There should be an number of orb shaped training drones in the footlocker on the back wall. You'll probably have to pry the old thing open, but take one home and fix it up and when you bring it back we will try something I like to call 'active meditation'. This will also serve as a cursory introduction to the simplest form of lightsaber combat."

That got Luke's attention fully, "You have a lightsaber in here? Wow! I am going to get started right away!"

With a speed only the exuberance of youth could provide Luke had dashed to the back wall, quickly pulling out an electric torch as the lighting he had not yet repaired dimmed the further away from the holocron stand he got.

Revan watched in amusement as his young apprentice had to dash back to the center of the room to retrieve a fusion torch from his toolbox, as he had run over to the footlocker completely unprepared to pry or burn it open.

Revan was once again struck by the similarities between himself and the young Skywalker when Luke returned only three days later with a fully functional and repaired remote drone.

"It wasn't that hard, Master! Truthfully I was only working on it in total for about three hours or so. It just took a few days to gather all the parts and get away from the farm without being suspicious."

Luke was learning a lot about being sneaky and not triggering the suspicions of his uncle, his aunt was far less likely to get on his case about being out and about. Though he had started to think recently that he had better occasionally actually visit Tosche Station for real or one of his friends might come calling to the farm and alert his guardians that he hadn't been to the station any of the last three times he had told them he was going there.

He quickly pushed those thoughts away as Revan began to speak.

"This is very good work, Luke! Now for active meditation I will need you to connect the remote's wireless signal to the Holocron, I will handle the Holocron's end of that, and while I am getting used to controlling it through my interface go grab one of the pilot helmets from the armory wardrobes."

Every cloth or non-synthetic piece of equipment was completely useless after four thousand years of course, but the hardier things, such as the pilot's helm, were at least functioning enough for the active meditation exercise.

Luke dutifully returned just a few minutes later, helm held on his hip, as Revan finished getting the remote used to the digital commands from the Holocron.

"Yes this will do nicely, now take the lightsaber from the pedestal and put the helmet on." As he spoke a seamless compartment on the central pillar that held the Holocron opened up and the hilt of a lightsaber popped out slightly.

Luke put on the helmet and removed the lightsaber, turning on the strange goldenrod blade and giving it a few experimental swings.

"Alright Luke, now I have set the remote's blaster to a mild sting. You will clear your mind as I have taught you and use that to connect to the Force and let the will of the Force guide you to block the sting-bolts with the lightsaber. And you will do this all with the blast shield of that helmet down."

Luke balked, "With the blast shield down?! But how will I see the remote? That's impossible, Master!"

Revan chuckled, "I suppose you didn't grow up around the Force, Padawan. But with the Force nothing is impossible. Now you managed to briefly touch the Force in some of our more successful meditations, since they did not work consistently due to how restless you are I decided we needed a trial by fire as it were. This will put pressure on you to connect with the Force and also put you in a situation where adrenaline may help focus your mind on that objective."

The young man gulped slightly before tentatively lowering the blast shield of his helmet, "Alright...I am really trusting you here, Master."

Revan smiled, though Luke could no longer see that, "And I truly appreciate your faith, Padawan. Now...block!"

With that the remote began moving and firing the sting-bolts, with long intervals in between each blast.

Intervals constantly punctuated with a grunt, low cry, or "Ow!" from the Skywalker boy.

After seven hits Luke managed to deflect one, right through Revan's hologram, unbeknownst to Luke.

"Ha! I got on-OW!"

"Do not let your guard down, apprentice. The exercise shall go on until either you drop or you can prove to me your ability to connect to the Force has become marginally more consistent."

A little bit over an hour later Luke was blocking two out of every three bolts sent at him and was falling in and out of the Force much more easily than he had been with the standard meditation techniques.

The urge to move his lightsaber through the Force vanished suddenly as Revan spoke up, "Alright Luke, that's enough for today. You made good progress, Padawan."

Luke let out a relieved breath, the exercise had been taxing, and stung a lot. He flipped up the blast shield on the helmet and placed the lightsaber back into its slot before fully removing the helmet.

"I really felt it today, Master! The Force I mean! It was...well I couldn't really hold onto it for too long at once but it felt amazing!"

Revan nodded, "That pleases me to hear, Luke. I am quite proud of you. Now ideally you would do this exercise every day but I know you cannot get away from the farm that often. So in order to keep you progressing I want you to put the datapad I had you bring into this interface slot."

With that a slot shaped perfectly for a datapad popped open, Luke went over to his rucksack and pulled out the blank datapad Revan had asked him to bring and inserted it.

"So what is going to be on the datapad, Master?"

"I'm putting a lot of theoretical data for your future lessons on here. They will be listed in the order I wish you to read them, along with some unnumbered supplemental material you can read at your own pleasure. Since you cannot be here every day I want you to spend at least an hour reading to keep your progress going. You'll have Force theory, lightsaber form manuals, and the history of the Jedi up until my time of death."

Luke nodded, "I'll make sure I study hard!" Luke had never really had a subject that interested him so much as the new powers and heroic way of life Revan was teaching him. Most of the truly interesting things in his life, at least academically, had always been mechanics and thus not really focused on books. It was going to be an interesting experience for the young boy.

It was a good thing Revan had given him the reading material, Luke reflected a few days later, as he had not been able to get away from the farm again and was going to have to go to Tosche Station this week instead of to the cave, just to keep up appearances with his friends.

Learning to use the Force, connecting with it, had broadened Luke's horizons and given him a new somewhat singular focus.

When he was at home now he could usually go at least most of a week without being as restless and frustrated as he had been the past year or so, and his aunt and uncle were truly appreciating it.

In fact Luke's improved attitude around the farm was, unbeknownst to the young teen, having his uncle consider loosening his hold on the young boy as a reward. Much at his aunt's insistence of course.

So when he was told he could go in to visit his friends at Tosche Station two days earlier than he expected he jumped at the chance.

That was how Luke was spotted by his best friend, Biggs Darklighter, two hours before the suns hit their peak pulling the Lars family speeder into an open spot around the station.

Biggs ran out quickly to greet his younger friend, "Luke! How have you been! We haven't seen you in two weeks, you'd think it was the main harvest already!"

Luke chuckled as his friend clapped him on the back, "Nah I just got a bit lost in some repair projects of my own. I was experimenting with some remote droids and other stuff. Wanted to see if I could boost the power output and use them as traps for any Sand People that got too close to the farm. I think it can work, I'll check out some parts I need while I'm here actually."

Luke was a little concerned that that particular twist of the trust came so easily to him, but something had happened when the Empire rose and Jedi were traitors. He was not sure of the reasons and Revan had told him they had to keep things secret until they knew more specifics.

Biggs bought the story though, "You're always getting lost in some project or another, gotta come out here and live a little!"

That got an honest reaction from Luke however, a snort, "Live a little? A little is right, this place is about as lively as the Sarlacc pit most days."

"Well I can't argue that. Even today it was only me and Camie here until you arrived, Fixer was bored out of his mind."

Luke shrugged, "Eh can't say I'm not glad Windy and Deak aren't here. I'm still mad at Windy for a few weeks ago. Running off and leaving me to a blasted Krayt Dragon! What a karking coward."

Biggs' eyebrows shot up, "Wait he what? A krayt? You didn't tell me any of this!"

Luke rubbed the back of his head, "Well...yeah that's also a bit why I was working on those remotes. Figure they could be a good portable distraction if something like that happens again. He crashed the skyhopper out in the Dune Sea and a dragon showed up and he just booked it leaving me to deal with the thing on my own. I found some crags to slide down and hid in a pretty deep crevice until it got bored and left." Even though it hadn't been a real dragon in the end Luke was still quite understandably angry with Windy, Windy hadn't known it was a fake so the intent in abandoning Luke was still very much there.

Biggs groaned, "Unfortunately I don't think I would ever expect anything brave out of Windy. Or Deak for that matter. My gramps says real bravery is standing up when you're afraid and stupidity is just standing up when you don't know to be afraid. He said the first makes heroes and the second makes you dead."

That got a humored reaction from Luke, "Your grandfather is a strange man, Biggs."

The other young man shrugged, "He talks all about the 'exciting days' when he and your grandfather Cliegg would put together raiding parties to hit back at the Sand People. I think he took a gaffi stick to the head at some point."

Luke shuffled uncomfortably, Uncle Owen didn't talk much about his dad. He knew Cliegg had married his grandmother and then died of a broken heart after Sand People killed her, that was it. "Yeah...let's head in the suns are getting to the point where we should be in the workshop for a few hours."

Another clap to the shoulder and Biggs walked with Luke into the station.


	3. Forge

Author's Note:

For this chapter I'm moving several incidents from the Star Wars comics and EU to later or earlier in Luke's life.

Anyways this is when I start playing fast and loose with canon timelines a little. And condense what arguably could have been five more chapters into one chapter with flashbacks.

I just desperately needed to get Luke off of goddamn Tattooine to be able to keep my drive for the story going as we saw in how long the hiatus was.

Chapter 3: Forge

A sixteen year old Luke stood alone in front of the Tusken leader. His heart beat frantically in his chest, a sensation he was able to calm by embracing the force and letting it flow throughout him.

He ignited his father's blue lightsaber, and prepared for battle, his mind quickly flickering to the day he had revealed his powers to old Ben and that his uncle had agreed to allow him to be trained.

 _Two years prior the young Luke desperately flew his skyhopper at full speed towards the distressing battle the Force had shown him._

 _He had gotten flashes of his Uncle Owen being kidnapped and endangered while training with Revan and had immediately rushed out with his teacher's blessings._

 _Racing close to the cliffside Luke became aware of the vicious Wookiee battling old Ben, who had a lightsaber, while his uncle hung from the side of the cliff._

 _Luke popped open the windshield of the T-16 and reached out with both hands in a mighty simultaneous double force pull, yanking Uncle Owen through the air into his grip, and sending the Wookiee flying off into the valley below._

 _Ben sharply turned and looked up at him, and Luke knew things were going to change._

The masked Tusken on his giant bantha took out something from his belt, and to no surprise of Luke's, ignited his own green blade.

" _So this is the Holocron you have been learning from?" Obi-Wan questioned Luke._

" _Yes, Master. Master Revan has taught me many things, I am competent in most of the basic force powers of his time period and I have learned Form I of lightsaber combat and moved on to touching forms III and V with him. As well as learning my pre-Sith Empire War history," Luke replied, somewhat more deferentially than he normally would. General Kenobi was a bit of a legend from the recent history research he had done at Revan's behest._

" _Hmm...and which form feels the best to you?"_

" _I...actually Master Kenobi I want to learn enough of them to master the Niman form, like Exar Kun. I am aware of the criticisms bu-" Kenobi cut him off with a raised hand._

" _A master of Niman is much different from a practitioner of Niman. I saw many practitioners who were not primarily combatants fall during the Clone Wars, but the one master of the form I knew had very few equals. I agree that we can attempt this path with you, young Padawan."_

There was a momentary paused as the two warriors stared each other down.

"You carry the blade and the looks of Skywalker...so that man could not even hold to the most basic tenants of the Order," The name was hissed with rage and malice the denoted a personal grudge.

And suddenly Luke realized he had made a huge mistake coming into this conflict without Obi-Wan. This was no force sensitive Tusken that had found a lightsaber and used it for intimidation.

This was a Jedi who had survived the Purge and then fallen into banditry and hatred.

As the Tusken leader flipped off of his bantha with perfect grace and came down on Luke with a clinically perfect Ataru overhead strike, he raised his lightsaber and sent out a small call down his Padawan bond with his master.

'Help!'

" _Very well, Luke, I have consulted with the Holocron and have come to an arrangement with...Master Revan," Obi-Wan handed the databank back to Luke._

" _I will handle your primary training from now on. However Revan will supplement this with Lore, Tactics, the gaps in lightsaber form-knowledge needed for your Niman training, and ancient techniques which had fallen out of practice over the millennia of peace the Jedi Order had leading up to the Clone War," As he finished this an image of Revan appeared from the Holocron and bowed deeply._

" _It would be my pleasure Master Kenobi, to pass on forgotten techniques to you as well if you had spare time."_

" _Oh I am sure we will find little time to teach an old dog such as I new tricks. But what time there is I will give over to my curiosity in this regard."_

The Tusken growled out a laugh, "Skywalker's spawn practicing Niman? How quaint. Let a true master show you how it is done, whelp!"

With a flourish of his blade the Tusken began executing a flurry of blows and strikes pulled straight out of traditional Niman katas, all woven together seamlessly.

Luke, immediately on the defensive could barely keep up, even as he sensed that his opponent was playing with him.

And he had been using Force Speed to enhance his reaction time from the very beginning of the fight.

 _Rumors of increased Tusken banditry had been going around for the last year, however it was only recently that they had become concrete in the area around Anchorhead and Mos Eisley._

 _A few Jawa caravans had been hit initially and then finally it had escalated into two major attacks._

 _One day the small mine run by the Stonerigger family was raided by the increasingly bold band of Tuskens. The droids and machinery were smashed, the weapons they had for defense were stolen, and the family was slaughtered except for the oldest child, Kandji, who was abducted._

 _The stolen weapons were then used two days later to jump one of the smaller Hutt pleasure barges, and there were reports of the Tusken leader wielding a lightsaber._

 _The first attack incensed the locals, as not only was the mine very important for being the only non-scrap source of metals in the area, but Kandji was engaged to Biggs Darklighter, of the very influential Darklighter family._

 _The second attack however incensed the Hutts, which meant that the posse that the Darklighters rounded up to attack and take out the raiders had some extra support in the form of weapons and a few mercenaries._

 _Luke had volunteered, and while he would be using a longstock blaster rifle, he did keep his lightsaber on him. Just in case._

A Force Push from the Tusken sent Luke tumbling through the air, he eventually flipped around to get his feet below him, yet still he skidded back through the sand upon landing.

"You are strong in the Force, I will admit, young Skywalker. But you are not the only Legacy here. My father too was a great Jedi, the greatest of his time. So let us see, the son of a slave turned Jedi against the son of a Jedi turned Tusken, everything coming full circle here on the blistering sands of Tattooine."

Oh great, thought Luke, this guy thinks he's a poet.

With some struggle, Luke stood up straight and move his arms into the defensive stance of Soresu, forgoing his preferred Niman.

"Ah...yes that is a good way to play this. A smarter, more tactical mind than your father's. He would just rush into fights and hope his natural talent and the Force's grace got him through."

With that, the Tusken Jedi charged again.

 _They had hunted the outlying bands of Tusken raiders back over the last week. The mercenaries being invaluable in the actual combat with the smaller bands that had broken off of the larger one._

 _Luke had been getting some work in with his blaster rifle, using the Force's precognitive abilities to aim where his targets were going to be with unerring accuracy._

 _This had however gotten him some recognition and a bit of a reputation. The Hutt's mercenaries had noticed. One in particular, named Boushh, a masked alien of a species called the Ubese seemed puzzlingly suspicious of Luke's abilities. But Luke was not worried about that right now._

 _He was worried about stopping this entire thing before his friend got himself killed._

 _It was three days ago that they had found Kandji's corpse in a Tusken camp they had hit. Biggs was inconsolable._

 _Grief, sadness, rage, those all tore through is mind, body, and soul in a tempest of emotions that had Luke fearing both he personally being overwhelmed through the Force's sensitivity to those emotions and of his friend going off alone or jumping into some reckless plan of vengeance._

 _After giving it some thought Luke knew that he was not doing as much as he could hiding his powers._

 _He needed to separate from the group and find a way to challenge the Tusken leader on his terms, with his lightsaber and the Force on his side. Then the warband would fall apart with no leader. And Biggs wouldn't get himself killed._

"Well then, Padawan! Your master must be someone of note and talent in Form Three!" The Tusken Jedi commented as he hammered away at Luke's defensive Soresu stance. Still toying with the boy.

"Perhaps you would like to learn from me? To truly master Niman? Together we could overthrow the Hutts, the true masters of this world. I might even spare the farmers and forgive them their depredations against my people as long as they, and you, submit to Tusken rule."

Luke gritted his teeth, remembering the graves out behind the farm, to Shmi Skywalker-Lars and Cliegg Lars. His own grandmother, killed by these same people.

Kandji, killed and raped by these people, under this very same leader in fact.

Biggs, half-crazed with grief and rage.

"Not only would I never join the Tuskens after what they did to my family and friends, but I will never embrace the Dark Side the way you have! You are no longer any sort of Jedi I recognize!"

And with that Luke pushed back onto the offensive, pushing the Force out through a Force Kick instead of a normal hand push and causing the Tusken leader to skid backwards a few meters. Quickly he rushed in drawing some of Revan's Shien training into his Niman strategy.

Not as overwhelmingly forceful and aggressive as the revised Djem So version of Form V, Shien was a more tactical sort of aggression. Aggressively creating and exploiting weakpoints in a way that works best with the twirling reverse handed grip favored by many Shien specialists of the past.

Luke, however, still used Niman as his base and did not switch to the reverse-grip.

"Urk…" The Tusken grunted out as he blocked a particularly strong strike, "You do have some versatility child. You have that over your father for sure. But that man...he had POWER!"

And with the shout of that last word Luke was sent flying by a massive force wave rippling out from the Tusken who was now stalking closer and closer to the young Padawan.

"Well I think it's just about time this was over, don't you?" And he raised his blade above his head to strike.

"Oh, I agree...Knight A'Sharad Hett," A voice commented from behind him and Hett spun around just in time to block a strike from none other than the legendary General Kenobi.

"Kenobi! I should have known only you would train a spawn of Skywalker!"

"Guilty as charged, now why don't you release all this rage and hatred and return to the tenants of the Order, Hett? You still have not fallen so far you cannot be redeemed."

Their blades continued to clash in a whirlwind that Luke could barely follow, even as they conversed.

"Bah! These farmers and Hutt following maggots have slaughtered my people for generations! Even your so called Chosen One was guilty of such a genocide! Sometimes to protect the people you must attack their oppressors!"

"You are not a guardian any longer, Hett. You have become a warlord and I can see you slipping to the Dark Side."

"Warlord? We were both generals in the Clone Wars! Where we were merely warlords for the Republic! A bantha steak by any other name still tastes the same!"

"Yes...past mistakes however do not justify current ones! The danger is in becoming that which you fight! It was that trap which the Jedi fell into and that is the one that takes you now!"

With a flourish of his blade Kenobi sent Hett flying backwards into a dune.

With a growl Hett stood back up and brought out a second lightsaber, his father's, and ignited it, dropping into a Jar'Kai stance.

"You simpering fool! I was raised to manhood by my people and my father Sharad Hett, greatest Jedi of his age! These settlers farm my people's blood from the land! And I shall exact a blood price! They shall leave this land or be buried beneath it!"

"I cannot allow that. You were a great Jedi, A'Sharad Hett. Son of a great Jedi. But you walk down a path of revenge and it ends here."

Luke pulled himself up onto a knee and noticed he was not the only observer. Some of the captains and lower war leaders under Hett had finally managed to get past the trap he had laid to cut them off and were watching the single combat.

"You will have a Jedi funeral, Master Kenobi, that I promise."

The two masters of their craft dueled fiercely. Hett's dual blades hammering into Kenobi's expert defenses back to back.

The first blow to break the stalemate was from the enraged Hett, a kick sent Kenobi flying backwards through the air, though the man quickly turned it into a Force directed cartwheel.

The second blade flew out, whirling through the air like a buzzsaw coming in at the elder Jedi.

However Kenobi deflected it mid-flip with his own blade and as he landed Hett came back in with the blade returning to his hand for more strikes.

However Kenobi was a master of using defense to draw his opponents into overextending themselves.

And that is exactly what happened.

Kenobi purposefully took an elbow strike to the jaw to allow himself entry past his opponent's own defenses.

He let loose a mighty Force Push straight into Hett's gut, and telekinetically grabbed the man and threw him away, simultaneously disarming him of his lightsabers and worst of all unmasking him.

To be unmasked in combat was the gravest sin for the Tuskens.

Hett cried out in rage and agony as he saw his war leaders watching the fight turn and leave.

"You have shamed me Kenobi! Shamed me! I will one day make you and all of Skywalker's line rue this day!"

However Kenobi was walking over to pick up his student.

"Come back to the light, Hett. Start over again somewhere new. Without all this rage."


	4. Flight

Chapter 4: Flight

Sixteen Years after the Empire was founded, and Three Years before what in another life would have been the Battle of Yavin...

"I'm so sorry Uncle Owen...I really tried to hide my powers, but he was a fallen Jedi. I couldn't let the raiding party go in and get slaughtered!"

Luke was trying to firmly hold his ground from right out the gate in what he thought would be an argument of epic proportions with his uncle.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Owen just simply put his face in his hands for a few moments, then he lifted his head up and moved a hand over to grasp his wife's own hand for support.

"Luke...we tried so hard to protect you. To hide you from this part of the galaxy. And I have come to realize it just wasn't possible. You found a fracking Jedi database in the desert of all places. I hate it but I think fate might just be a real thing," he held up a hand to stop Obi-Wan from speaking, "Yes yes the 'Will of the Force' or what have you. Listen, Luke...Beru and I are just glad we were able to give you something resembling a childhood at this point. So the real question becomes...what can you both do?" With that he turned to face and acknowledge Obi-Wan.

While Luke was floored by his uncle's declaration Obi-Wan stroked his beard.

"Well...I believe we have no choice but to flee to my one point of contact that I know can get us to the Rebellion. The Empire will come to Tatooine if they hear too much of the lightsaber wielding Tusken, and eventually they would learn of us and hunt us down. The good news is, we likely have at least a month before we would need to leave to beat any news or investigation. I can get us to Fulcrum, and they can get us to safety."

Luke turned his head quizzically at this, "Fulcrum?" 

"The name and old...friend of mine goes by now. To hide their true identity from the Empire. As an agent of the Rebellion discretion has become paramount I imagine."

Suddenly Luke and Obi-Wan both turned to face the door, just before a knock.

Recognizing the presence Luke waved for his master to sit back down.

"Hey, Biggs," Luke said with a somber and forced smile as he opened the door.

"So..." Biggs began to speak, not quite knowing where to go with it, "I heard something weird happened out in the desert. That you and Old Ben somehow stopped the Tusken Chief? Windy's dad heard from some of the bounty hunters that they captured some of the scattered band leaders and interrogated them with a protocol droid."

Biggs hesitated, implying that there was more he had heard.

Obi-Wan sighed, "It appears we must leave sooner than I believed."

"So it's true? You...are one of the old Jedi? And Luke is like...your apprentice or something?"

Luke nodded glumly, "Yeah, Biggs. I am really sorry I didn't tell you,"

"Didn't tell me?" Biggs questioned, his volume rising, "I'm not mad about hiding weird wizard powers! I'm mad that you went off to fight that karking Tusken yourself! I would have had your back! I thought we were friends!"

Luke was taken aback by all of this, "I, look...Biggs, I am so sorry. The guy had a lightsaber, he was a kind of danger none of the farmers or even bounty hunters would have been able to handle! I didn't think he'd end up being a former commander from the Clone Wars turned rogue!"

"No! You didn't think! You didn't think how much it would mean to me not only to get to back you up in taking the guy down, but what it would do to me if I also lost the best friend who is like a kid brother to me right after losing the love of my life!"

He pulled Luke into a big hug, "Don't do something stupid like that again! At least not without me as back-up."

Once again taken aback it took a moment for the padawan to return the hug, "So uh...am I forgiven?"

"Not only are you forgiven," Biggs released the hug and pulled back, "But I'm guessing you and Old Ben are leaving the planet? Where are you planning on going? Because I want to come with you."

Luke looked over to Obi-Wan, "Umm..."

"Are you willing to join the Rebellion, young Darklighter? I hear you were planning to join the Imperial Starfighter Corps?"

Biggs shrugged, "Just to get off planet and learn to fly something more modern than our T-16s. I was always planning to defect to the Rebellion first chance I got, I just knew I had to be out there to do it."

"Hmm..." The old general considered the offer, "Luke, myself, our equipment, I suppose Luke will be taking that droid he's been working on, and yourself? Yes, we'd all fit on a freighter and if we cannot find one to purchase for ourselves I suppose buying passage to the rendezvous planet wouldn't be that difficult. Luke has saved up no small amount doing repairs, I still have some of my own store saved up, if you pitched in I think we could make it work."

"Absolutely! I've got a bunch saved up for my passage to the closest Imperial planet to join the Academy. That should help a lot!"

"Very well, it would do Luke some good to have a friend along and the Rebellion likely could always use more starfighter pilots."

A few hours later had Luke packing up his repair equipment when Biggs returned with his own gear.

"You still haven't finished fiddling with that old security droid enough to turn it on?"

Luke wiped some grease off of his hands, "Well...I'm not sure I got the personality matrix right for the modifications I made to it. I call this version a Tracker Sentinel, and it's my eleventh schematic, though the only one I've built so I'm calling him TS-11."

"What's it supposed to do?"

"Well I started with the standard KX-series body, the frame is a K1 but I got some plating and internal systems from a K2. So he's fast and mobile. I was able to retrofit and upgrade some old energy shield into his left arm so he can create a five by five bunker shield to defend, that's one of his Sentinel operations. I've created a sort of integrated utility belt around his chest which is what makes him a little bulkier, but it allows him to pop out a few different types of blaster as well as the end of an old IG-100 electrostaff turned into a baton. I also upgraded the digits on the right hand to interface like security tunnelers and computer interface devices instead of having the separate interface arm. I've improved the typical KX sensory suite to have infrared, ultraviolet, and sonar, as well as pick up radio waves. I plan to eventually add a stealth field generator but I haven't figured out how to not have that negatively interface with the energy shield even when its inactive, yet. So yeah he specializes in defense and counterintelligence I guess you could say. I always planned to join the Rebellion when my Jedi training was done, and hopefully convince Ben to come with me, so I was really trying to build something that could keep up."

Biggs let out a low whistle, "Well if all that you're worried about is the personality matrix I'd say just turn it on and give it a shot! Worst case you turn it off and memory wipe it and try again, right?"

Luke scratched his head and looked at the droid. In general it looked like the K2-series with slightly bulkier chest plating and a slightly bulkier left forearm. The chest plating also had grooves not present on the original. He'd repainted it a navy blue with forest green highlights. The head also had larger eyes and slightly bulkier 'ear' pieces jutting out representing the sonar sensory suite. All in all he felt he'd done some good work, he'd even based some of the tactical coding off of what Revan had provided him on his own unique droid, HK-47.

"TS-11, activation code: Zeta Two-Two-Five Gamma."

With a soft whirr of internal parts and building electricity the dark eye lenses of the droid lit up and it slowly stood.

"Tracker Sentinel Series Unit Eleven reporting for duty. Jedi Commander Luke Skywalker identified as presiding officer, how may I be of assistance?"

However before Luke could respond it noticed Biggs. Instantly a compartment on the droid's chest popped open and a blaster magnetically flew into its right hand.

"Unknown meatbag identified in private space, Commander confirm if hostile? Shall I defend you against this interloper?"

Luke sighed, "TS, at ease, add this organic to your files as Biggs Darklighter, ally. And I request you not pull your blaster on anything unless directly threatened for the near future. We're going on a bit of a trip."

"Confirmed, meatbag designation changed to organic, Biggs Darklighter, category ally. This unit is ready and willing to depart on our quest."

"Quest?" Biggs questioned, the droid's personality was all over the place.

"Indeed, Ally Biggs. Commander Luke has indicated through body language that this trip he speaks of is important and will be lengthy. Implying that it will also be off world. As a Jedi I can only assume that he is embarking upon a grand quest of which I will endeavor to be of great assistance. For the glory of the Jedi!"

The droid said all of this with the most deadpan of voices, Biggs could not tell if Luke had failed to develop its vocal emoting or if it was being sarcastic.

"Well...I don't think this is too bad for me not being completely confident in the personality matrix?" Luke interjected.

"He'll be in-flight entertainment at least?" Biggs retorted.

The next day found the trio and their droid in Mos Eisley and growing in frustration.

"So there's seriously not a single multi-passenger ship worth buying is this entire cesspool?" Biggs questioned.

Obi-Wan nodded and Luke chimed in, "I took a look at all of them, Biggs. They really were all pieces of crap. Wouldn't trust them to hit hyperspace."

"And thus we must change to our backup plan of buying passage to a rendezvous point. A subpar option, as we will likely have to pay for whoever we hire's discretion," the old Jedi Master added.

"Guess we have no choice but to hit a cantina."

Luke had never been into anywhere bigger than Anchorhead before, and certainly never been into a cantina.

At the door they were immediately greeted by a crusty alien bouncer who said, "No droids," and just glared at them.

Luke shrugged and instructed TS to, "Stay here and only use stun if someone bothers you."

"Affirmative Commander Luke, changing setting to 'No Fun Allowed' mode."

"I can never tell if that droid is trying to sass you, Luke," Biggs remarked as they walked indoors.

"Tell me about it..."

A few minutes later Luke had to use the Mind Trick to stop a couple of drunks from harassing him and Biggs, while Obi-Wan wandered around looking for a reliable freighter pilot.

And once they met them...Luke wasn't impressed.

Well alright, he would admit to himself, that the Wookie was pretty impressive. But the Han Solo guy? He'd believe his bravado when he got to see him live up to it. The Kessel Run in twelve-parsecs, unbelievable.

"So you're going to Dantooine?" Solo questioned as they made their way to his Millennium Falcon's hanger.

"Indeed, I have a niece there whom we will be meeting," Obi-Wan vaguely answered.

"Well you're paying just enough so-" He noticed TS at this point, "What kinda Sithspit droid is that?"

Luke took affront, "Hey! I made him, and he's better than any of the KX-series droids he's based on! TS-11 is a work of art!"

"Indeed, Commander Luke built me to fight on par with the commandos of the Clone Wars. I specialize in the tracking down and restraint or termination of hostile meatbags while also having the capabilities to defend allied organics and hold down locations. I will gleefully demonstrate should you wish, Captain Nemo."

"Solo."

"Captain Loner."

"SOLO."

"Captain Uno."

"SOLO!"

"Corporal Solo."

"Captai-wait how'd you know my old rank?"

"I extrapolated that someone like yourself would have never gained a higher rank in the Imperial military."

"Is...kid is this droid insulting me I can't tell? This thing's tone is all off."

"Join the club," Biggs muttered.

Things were slightly smoother once they got onto the Falcon. It was an older model freighter, outdated by about half a decade, but Luke could see it had been heavily modified.

In fact he was enjoying playing on the holotable with the Wookie, Chewbacca, most of the first hyperspace jump towards Dantooine.

Thanks to Revan's teachings he knew Shyriiwook, Ithorese, and Mando'a; and thanks to his upbringing on Tatooine also knew Jawaese and Huttese.

It was when they came out of their first hyperspace jump that things became hectic.

Obi-Wan hurried upfront to the cockpit, a worried look on his face, and Luke began to follow.

He caught up partway through his master's conversation with Captain Solo.

"Why in the Maw would I ever want to take you to frakking Malachor of all places? That's a death sentence! You'd have to pay me at least three times what you are to make me even consider it!"

Obi-wan was visibly distraught, or at least he was to Luke who knew him well.

"Look, Captain Solo I guarantee you can be compensated. I am actually meeting a high ranking Rebellion officer. They can pay you! She thinks her last minute mission to Malachor is going to need back-up and Luke and I are the only ones that can make a difference out there!"

"Rebels smebbles! I don't know they can pay!"

Luke suddenly had an idea, Revan had stored a lot of lightsaber parts and components in the cave and he had taken quite a few of them with him.

"I have a Krayt Dragon Pearl! Will that do?"

Both men arguing paused and turned to look at him.

"Yeah kid...show me the goods and we'll take you on this suicide run I guess."


End file.
